Literature and General Knowledge Quiz

This classic riddle requires careful parsing: 'my father's son' refers to the speaker himself (since he has no brothers). So the statement becomes 'that man's father is me.' Therefore the person he is pointing at must be his son. The other options don't fit the logical structure.

'A Pair of Blue Eyes' is a novel by Thomas Hardy published in 1873. It was inspired by Hardy's own courtship of his first wife Emma Gifford. Shakespeare, Dickens, and Karl Marx did not author this novel - Dickens wrote many novels but not this one, while Marx was a political philosopher, not a novelist.

'India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium' is a famous book written by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (with Y.S. Rajan). It outlines his plans to develop India into a developed nation by the year 2020.

'My Childhood Days' is an autobiographical work by Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen. R.K. Narayan wrote fictional works like 'Malgudi Days', V.V. Giri was a politician and former President of India, and H.G. Wells was a British science fiction author. The title indicates a memoir genre.

This statement is TRUE. India's 5th Prime Minister was Indira Gandhi (1966-77, 1980-84) and the 8th was her son Rajiv Gandhi (1984-89). They shared the same parents (Feroze and Indira Gandhi), making them mother and son, not siblings. The wording 'weren't brothers or sisters' is technically accurate.

'Macbeth' is one of William Shakespeare's most famous tragedies, written around 1606. G.B. Shaw is a later playwright (Pygmalion), John Milton wrote epic poetry (Paradise Lost), and Churchill was a British Prime Minister who also wrote history books, not plays.

The 'Odyssey' is an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, composed around the 8th century BCE. It recounts Odysseus's 10-year journey home after the Trojan War. Kenneth Tynam, Charles Darwin (biologist), and Walter Scott (novelist) did not write this epic.

'Twelfth Night' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601-1602. C.P. Snow was a novelist and physicist, John Ruskin was an art critic, and Leon Uris was a 20th century American novelist. The play features twins Viola and Sebastian.

'War and Peace' is a monumental novel by Russian author Leo Tolstoy, published between 1865-1869. Piloo Mody was an Indian politician, Thomas Becket was a medieval archbishop, and Goethe was a German author known for 'Faust'. The novel chronicles Napoleon's invasion of Russia.

'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' is a novel by American author Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), published in 1876. Henry Fielding wrote 'Tom Jones' (different book, 18th century), H.G. Wells wrote science fiction, and C.P. Snow was a 20th century British novelist. The book features Tom's adventures along the Mississippi River.

The State Bank of India originally started as the 'Bank of Calcutta' in 1806. It was later renamed 'Bank of Bengal' in 1809, and eventually became the 'Imperial Bank of India' in 1921 before being nationalized as SBI in 1955. The Bank of India is a different bank founded in 1906.

'My Truth' is the autobiography of Indira Gandhi, India's first and only female Prime Minister. Kiran Bedi wrote 'I Dare', R.K. Narayan wrote fictional works, and Annie Besant was an earlier theosophist and reformer. The book covers Indira's life and political journey.

John Masefield wrote the narrative poem "Nine Days Wonder" about a journey through Wales. Homer is associated with Greek epics like the Iliad and Odyssey, Svetlana is a Russian name not linked to this work, and Hugh Tinker (not Huge Tinker) was a historian, not a poet.

Modern polo was formalized in Calcutta (Kolkata) in the 1860s with the establishment of the Calcutta Polo Club, the oldest polo club in the world. While the game has ancient roots in Manipur, the standardized modern version originated in Calcutta.

Chinese New Year 2011 fell on February 3rd, marking the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit. It's based on the lunar-solar calendar and varies each year. January 1st is the Gregorian New Year, December 25th is Christmas, and January 26th is India's Republic Day.

Malayalam New Year (Vishu) in 2011 was celebrated on April 18th. Vishu typically falls on the first day of the Malayalam month of Medam, usually around April 14th. April 14th is Tamil New Year (Puthandu), and December 25th is Christmas.

Tamil New Year (Puthandu) in 2011 fell on April 14th. This is the first day of the Tamil month of Chithirai and is consistently celebrated on April 14th each year. January 1st is the Gregorian New Year, March 21st is the spring equinox, and April 18th is when Malayalam New Year sometimes falls.

Ugadi (also spelled Ugadhi) is the Telugu New Year festival celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Vishu is Malayalam New Year, Pongal is a Tamil harvest festival in January, and Makara Sankranti is a harvest festival across India in mid-January.

The Parsi New Year (Navroz) is celebrated on March 21st according to the Shahenshahi calendar used by most Parsis. This corresponds to the spring equinox. April 14th is associated with several other Indian New Year festivals (Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali). June dates are not related to Parsi New Year.